Microsoft announces more Windows Phone 7 details

Thanks to Microsoft's PR department, we have some Windows Phone 7 details from MIX10 before Joe Belfiore even takes the stage this morning.

In a news release, Microsoft announced that Windows Phone 7 will feature:

• accelerometer support;
• a Microsoft Location Service for the phones;
• Microsoft Notification Service, known to other smartphone users as push notifications;
• hardware-accelerated video playback with digital rights management (DRM);
• Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming for live video;
• multitouch support;
• camera and microphone support.

Updated 10:02 a.m.: Belfiore said developers have just two screen sizes to target.

Application developers will have a number of options. As previously reported, Windows Phone 7 will support the .NET Framework, XNA and Silverlight.

Microsoft announced Monday that the following tools are usable for Windows Phone 7 app development:

• Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone;
• a Windows Phone 7 add-in for the Visual Studio 2010 release candidate;
• XNA Game Studio 4.0 for Windows Phone;
• an Expression Blend 4 for Windows Phone community technical preview;
• a Windows Phone 7 Series emulator for testing apps.

Updated 10:25 a.m.: Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president for the .NET Developer Platform, said the Expression Blend developer add-ins for Windows Phone 7 will be free.

Updated 11:09 a.m.: Guthrie said developers can create trial versions of apps.

Companies that are making Windows Phone apps include: The Associated Press, Archetype Internationa, AWS Convergence Technologies – WeatherBug, Citrix Systems, Clarity Consulting, Cypress Consulting, EA Mobile, Fandango, Foursquare Labs, frog design, Glu Mobile, Graphic.ly, Hudson Entertainment, IdentityMine, IMDb.com, Larva Labs, Match.com, Matchbox Mobile, Microsoft Game Studios, Namco Networks America, Oberon Media, Pageonce, Pandora Media, Photobucket, PopCap Games, Seesmic, Shazam Entertainment, Sling Media, SPB Software, stimulant, TeleCommunications Systems, Touchality LLC and Vertigo Software. The Netflix app will let users watch streaming video on their phones.

More information coming as MIX continues. You can watch the keynotes live here.

Microsoft also announced the immediately availability of a release candidate for Silverlight 4. The company released a beta at the Professional Developers Conference in November. Guthrie said the final Silverlight 4 release will come next month.